Typewriting-machine



J. WALDHEIM. TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 22, I919.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WALDHEIM, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 UNDERWOOD TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N Y., .A CORPORATION QF DELAWARE,

TYPEWRITING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

Application filed. September 22, 1919. Serial N 0. 325,566.

turn key will actuate its lever and withdraw an arm thereon sufiiciently to permit a spring-pressed switch member to move to a switch-closing position, and to remain in such position until the key is permltted to return to its normal position. The closing of this switch in the motor circuit will start i the motor and cause rotation of a drum or pulley on its shaft to effect a winding on the drum of a flexible connection or belt between said drum and the line-space lever on the carriage, thus effecting a line-space movement of the platen and a return movement of the carriage.

In order to avoid injury to and the probable burning out of the motor in case the carriage-returnkeyis held in depressed position after the carriage has been stopped by the righ-hand margin stop, provision is made of means for. automatically opening the motor circuit when such a condition exists. To this end, provision is made of an auxiliary switch in the motor circuit. The flexible connection is engaged on one side by two fixed guides, and a bight or buckle in the connection is formed between the fixed guides by passing the belt or connection around a guideon the auxiliary switch lever. The switch lever is normally held in closed position by a spring or other suitable means. When, however, the carriage is stopped by the right-hand margin stop, or another stop, the motor will draw on said connection, straightening the bight therein and opening the auxiliary switch.

When the auxiliary switch is opened, the spring connected therewith will tend to draw the auxiliary switch lever into position to close the switch, and in so doing will restore the bight and turn the motor backward,

the closing of the auxiliary switch, in case the key is held depressed, causing the motor to start and again open the auxiliary switch. Obviously thls actuation may be repeated indefinitely. I

To prevent such repetition of the opening and closing of the auxiliary switch, pro- VlSlOIl 1s made of a ratchet wheel on the motor shaft and a pawl to engage therewith. S'u1table means are provided whereby, upon depression of the carriage-return key, a yielding engagement of the pawl with the ratchet wheel will be effected, thus permitting forward movement of. the motor, but

preventing any return movement thereof. It Wlll be understood that withdrawal of the pawl from the ratchet upon return of the carriage-return key to normal position is necessary to enable the usual letter-space feeding operation of the typewriting machine and consequent backward turning of the motor.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a skeleton perspective view, showing the invention applied to an Underwood typewriting machine.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the carriage-return device, showing the auxiliary switch open, and the pawl in engagement with the ratchet wheel.

The traveling carriage 1 is of the usual form in use in the Underwood typewriting machine, and is supported at the front by a guide-roller 2 housed in a block 3 formed in the front rail 4 of the carriage and resting on the guiding rail 5 fixed at its ends in the machine frame. The carriage 1 may be driven by the usual escapement controlled spring-drum (not shown).

Mounted in the carriage 1 is a platen roller 6 fixed to an axle 7 journaled in the platen frame 8. The platen roller 6 may be rotated either by hand wheels 9, or by the usual line-space mechanism comprising a line-space lever 10 pivoted at 11, and having an arm to engage and move rearwardly a slide bar 12, to which is pivoted a pawl 13 which drives a line-space ratchet wheel 14 fixed to the axle 7 of the platen roller. Theline-space lever, pawl and slide bar are returned by a spring 15.

Return of the carriage 1 is effected by means of an electric motor 16 connected .wardly from the pulley 18 over a switch lever 20 around a pulley 21 carried by a bracket 21 and then upwardly to guiderollers 22 and 23 on bracket 24 attached to the machine frame, and having its end re- .leasably attached at 25 to a link 26 pivoted to a slide bar 27, the free end of which is upturned to engage the linespace lever 10. The switch lever 20 controls an automatic take-up mechanism, which may be contained within the casing 28 to take up slack in the belt 17 when the carriage is returned by hand. Such mechanism, however, is not a part of the present invention.

The motor 16 may be connected to a suitable source of power supply by means of a plug 29. Provision is made of switches 30 and 31 inthe motor circuit 32. The switch 30 includes an arm 33 supported on a pivot 34 and urged by a spring 35 in a direction to bring the contact 36 thereon into engagement with a bracket 37, separated from the motor casing by an insulating member 38. The secondswitch 31 comprises a fixed contact 39, separated from the motor casing by means of an insulating member 40, and a movable-contact 41, carried by a lever 42 mounted on the pivot 43 carried by a bracketv44 supported by the motor casing and separated therefrom by means of vsuitable insulation 45. A spring 46 connected to the lever 42 and to the pin on the bracket 44 tends to hold the movable contact 41 in engagement with the fixed contact 39.

In order to control the position of the lever 42 by the flexible band 17, provision is made of a pulley 47 at one end of lever 42, and pulleys 48 and 49 on opposite sides of pulley 47, carried on pivots fixed in the bracket 44, the normal posit-ion of pulley 47 being such as to form a bight in the belt 17 between the pulleys 48 and 49.

Upon depression of the carriage'return I key 50, key-lever 51 will beswung about its pivot 52 against the action of a spring (not shown), and the upright arm 53 thereon, which normally maintains arm 33 in retracted position, will be withdrawn sufficiently to permit contact 36 to engage bracket 37, thereby closing switch 30. The motor will then be actuated to wind belt 17 on pulley- 18 and consequently to effect both line-spacing and a return movement of the carriage.

In order to determine the limit of the return movement of the carriage, provision is made of a right-hand margin or other stop 54, which comprises a pivoted holding dog having a laterally projecting arm 55 adapted to engage a rack 56 formed on guide rail 5 to hold the stop 54 against movement along said guide rail, the arm 55 being controlled by a suitable fingerpiece 57. In case the carriage-return key 50 is maintained in depressed position after the carriage has been stopped by' engagement with stop 54, the motor acting on pulley 18 will tend to straighten the b1 t formed by the pulley or guide-roller 47, and will move the guide-roller against the action of spring 46, and move the contact 41 so as to open the auxiliary switch 31. If, however, no provision is made for preventing reverse movement of the motor, spring 46, upon opening of the auxiliary switch, will pull back belt 17, causing reverse movement of the motor, and will effect closing of the auxiliary switch 31, thus closing the motor circuit again in case the carriage-return key 50 is kept depressed.

For the purpose of preventingvrestarting of the motor under the conditions just described, provision is made of a ratchet wheel 58 mounted on the motor shaft 19 and the pawl 59 carried on a pivot 60 on the motor casing, the latter being normally held against a fixed pin 61 by means of a spring 62 attached at one end to the pawl, and at the other end to a fixed pin 63. Also mounted on the pivot 60 is an arm 64 carrying a leaf spring 65, which engages the pawl 59 at its forward end, and is of strength sufficient to overpower spring 62 when the arm is depressed. Upon depression of the carriagereturn key 50, a downwardly extending lug 66 engages an offset portion-67 of arm 64, and brings pawl 59 into yielding engagement with ratchet Wheel 58. Obviously, there can be no reverse rotation of the motor while the carriage-return key 50 is in depressed position, but the motor will be free to move under the action of the carriage in its normal feeding movement when the carriage-return key is restored to normal position.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention. I claim:

l. The combination with a traveling carriage, of carriage return means, including an electric motor, a flexible belt connecting said I creased tension of said belt, and a movement of said controlling member, to open said normally closed switch.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of carriage-return means, including a drum, a flexible belt conneeting said carriage and said drum, an electric motor for actuating said drum, a normally open switch in the motor-circuit, a normally closed switch in said circuit, a ratchet-wheel coaxial with said drum, and fixed with respect thereto, means controlled by said belt to open said normally closed switch at the end of the carriage-return movement, a pawl for engagement with said ratchet-wheel, to prevent unwinding of said flexible belt from said drum, said pawl being normally in inefl'ective position, and means to effect the closing of said normally open switch, and move said pawl into operative engagement with said ratchet-wheel.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of carriage-returning mechanism comprising a motor having a shaft, a drum on said shaft, a flexible connection between said carriage and said drum, adapted to be wound on the latter, a ratchet wheel on said shaft, a normally ineffective pawl, an arm having a yielding connection with said pawl whereby said pawl may be brought into yielding engagement with said ratchet-wheel, a carriage-return lever, means controlled by said lever for closing the motor-circuit when said lever is depressed, and means whereby said lever in its movement to depressed position will engage said arm and cause said pawl to be moved into yielding engagement with said ratchetwheel.

4, In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of carriage-return mechanism, including an electric motor, a flexible connection between said motor and said carriage whereby the former may actuate the latter, a normally open switch in the motor circuit, a carriage-return key, means whereby said switch will be closed when said key is in depressed position, a second switch in said circuit including a fixed contact and a pivoted contact member, a spring normally holding said pivoted member in contact with said fixed contact, a guide on said pivoted member engaging the flexible connection on one side, a pair of fixed guides on opposite sides of the firstmentioned guide and engaging the flexible connection on the opposite side, the normal position of the middle guide being such as to maintain a bight or buckle in the flexible connection, and means to block the said car- .riage and thereby enable said motor to straighten said bight or buckle and actuate said pivoted member to open the secondswitch and stop the motor.

5. The combination with a traveling carriage, of carriage-return means including an electric motor, a normally open switch in the motor-circuit, a normally closed switch in said circuit, means to close said normally open switch to actuate said motor, yieldable means whereby actuation of said motor may effect return of the carriage, means whereby the yielding of said yieldable means will open said normally closed switch, and means for checking said carriage in. its return movement and thereby causing such yielding.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of an electric motor, a flexible connection between said carriage and said motor,'a normally open switch in the motor-circuit, a normally closed switch in said circuit, means for eflecting a closing of said first-mentioned switch, to cause a return movement of said carriage, and means controlled by said flexible connection, whereby the opening of said second-mentioned switch, and consequent deenergizing of the motor, will be effected.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of means to eflect a return movement of said carriage, including a motor and a flexible connection, whereby said carriage may be actuated by said motor, a margin-stop to limit said return, and means, controlled by said flexible connection, for throwing said motor out of action when the tension of said flexible connection exceeds a predetermined amount, due to the checking of said carriage by said margin-stop.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of a motor, connections, including a flexible band, between said motor and said carriage, a switch in the motor-circuit comprising a fixed contact and a movable contact, a spring tending to move said movable contact into engagement with said fixed contact, a carriage-return lever having an arm normally engaging said movable contact and holding the same out of engagement with the fixed contact, depression of said key withdrawing said arm sufficiently to enable closing of the switch, and means to break said circuit when the carriage reaches the end of its return movement and the lever is maintained in depressed position.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of returning means therefor including an electric motor, a switch in the motor-circuit, a carriage-return key, means, controlled by said key, whereby said switch will be closed when said key is depressed, and open when said key is in normal position, means whereby, in case of failure to release said key at the end of the return movement of said carriage, said circuit will be broken, and normally ineffective means rendered effective when said key is depressed to prevent reverse rotation of said motor, but to permit forward rotation thereof.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage and letter-space feeding mechanism therefor, (iEcarriage-return mechanism including a motor, a carriagereturn key, a normally open switch in the motor-circuit, means whereby said switch will be maintained in closed position while said key is depressed, means whereby said circuit may be broken when said carriage reaches a predetermined point in its return movement, and return-key-controlled means preventing reverse rotation of said motor when said key is held depressed, and permitting reverse movement of said motor by said letter-space-feeding mechanism when said key is restored to normal position.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of carriage-returning means comprising a motor, a flexible belt-through which said motor returns said carriage, a switch in the motorcircuit comprising a fixed contact, a pivoted contact member, a spring urging the latter to switch-closing position, a carriage-return lever having an arm normally positioned to hold said pivoted contact member in retracted position, but permitting a switchclosing movement thereof upon depression of a key-lever, and means controlled by said belt to open said circuit when said carriage reaches a certain predetermined'position 1n its return movement.

12. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of carriage-return means including a drum, a flexible belt connecting said carriage with said drum, an

electric motor for actuating said drum, a

normally open switch in the motor-circuit, a normally closed switch in said circuit, a ratchet wheel operatively connected with said drum, means controlled by said belt to open said normally closed switch at a predetermined point in the carriage-return movement, a pawl for engagement with said ratchet wheel to prevent reverse rotation of said drum, a spring normally maintaining said pawl in ineffective position, a pivoted arm, a spring between said pawl and said arm of sufficient strength to overpower the first-mentioned spring, and a carriage-return lever adapted to control said normally open switch, so that the latter will be closed upon depression of said lever, and to engage said arm and thereby move said pawl into effective position.

13. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of carriage-return means including a drum, a flexible belt connecting said carriage and said drum, a motor for actuating said drum, a carriage-re turn key, means controlled by said key, to cause operation of said drum by said motor when said key is in depressed position,

means rendered operative at a predetermined point in the return movement of the carriage to render said motor ineffective to control said drum, and means to prevent reverse movement of said drum as long as said key is maintained in depressed position.

14. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage, of means to effect a return movement of said carriage, including an electric motor and a flexible connection whereby said carriage may be actuated by said motor, a margin stop to limit said return, a normally open switch in the motor circuit, a carriage-return lever, means controlled by said lever whereby said switch will be closed when said lever is in depressed position, means for breaking the motor-circuit when the carriage has reached a predetermined point in its return movement, and means effective when said lever is depressed for preventing a reverse movement of the motor until the lever is permitted to return to normal position.

15. The combination with a traveling carriage, of carriage-return means including an electric motor, a flexible belt connecting said carriage and said motor to enable the latter to return the former, a normally open.

switch in the motor-circuit, a normally closed switch in said circuit, means to close said normally open switch and thereby cause actuation of the motor to return the carriage, a controlling member for said normally closed switch, a spring tending to maintain said controlling member in its normal position, means normally maintaining a bight in said belt, including a belt guide on said controlling member, means for stop ping said carriage in its return movement and thereby causing increased tension of said belt and a movement of said controlling member to open position, and means effective while said normally open switch is closed for preventing a backward rotation of said motor by said controlling member through said belt, which would result in the closing of the normally closed switch and second operation of the motor.

16. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of carriage-return means comprising a motor, a flexible belt between said motor and carriage, a carriage-return key, means actuated by said key to close the motor-circuit, a settable stop to determine the limit of the return movement of the carriage, a switch in said circuit comprising a movable controlling member therefor, a guide for said belt mounted on said controlling member, means urg ng said controlling member to closed position and said guide to a position to form a bight in said belt, the motor being effective upon engagement of the carriage with-the stop to straighten the bight and ble connection whereby said motor may re ,turn said carriage, a return key, means whereby the motor-circuit will normally be closed when said key is in depressed position and open when the same Is in 1ts normal position, means to stop said carriage at a predetermined point in its return movement, means actuated by said flexible connection upon such stoppage of the carriage to open t e circuit, and a spring normally preventing such opening of the circuit by the flexible connection.

18. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a traveling carriage, of carriagereturn means including a motor, an adjustable stop to limit the return movement of the carriage, a switch in the motor-circuit, a carriage-return ke means controlled by said key, whereby said switch will be closed when said key is depressed and open when the key is in normal position, a second switch in the motor-circuit, a spring normally holding said second switch closed, means whereby said motor, upon stoppage of the carriage by said stop, will open said second switch against the action of said spring, and return-key-controlled means effective .When said key is in depressed position to prevent a reverse movement of said motor,

' thereby preventing the closing of-the second switch by its sprlng upon shutting ofl the motor.

19. The combination with a traveling carriage, of carriage-returnimeans including an electric motor, a normally open switch in the motor-circuit, a normally closed switch in said circuit, a key to close said normally open switch to actuate said motor, 'yieldable means whereby actuation of said motor may efiect return of the carriage, means whereb the yielding of said yieldable means w' l 0 en said normally closed switch, means for -c ecking-said carriage in its return movement and thereby causing such yielding, and

normally ineffective means rendered effec-- tive when said key is depressed to prevent reverse rotation of said'motor without interfering with forward rotation thereof.

JOHN WALDHEIM.

Witnesses:

CATHERINE A. Nnwnnn, JENNIE P. THORNE. 

